Multi-piece vehicle bed rail cover

ABSTRACT

Multi-piece vehicle bed rail covers are disclosed. In one embodiment, a vehicle bed rail cover includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion has at least one end that includes a raised feature, and the second portion has at least one end that is free from raised features. The first and the second portions are illustratively joined together in such a manner that a seam is concealed at least in part by the raised feature. The vehicle bed rail cover can also include additional raised features that may be perpendicular or angled with respect to a length of the bed rail cover. Furthermore, the vehicle bed rail cover may include one or more locking mechanisms to join the different portions together, and the vehicle bed rail cover may be made in part by utilizing injection molding.

REFERENCE TO RELATED CASE

The present application claims the priority of provisional applicationSer. No. 61/549,888 filed on Oct. 21, 2011, the content of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Pickup trucks as well as other motor vehicles typically have a truck bedfor hauling items. A truck bed will typically have sides that areperpendicular to the bed, with a top surface called the bed rail. Bedrails may be protected using bed rail covers, commonly made for pickuptrucks and other motor vehicles. Rail covers are available in thevehicle accessory market. One version of a rail cover is a single,elongated plastic component designed to be attached to a bed rail of avehicle (usually a pickup truck). Of course, a separate bed rail coverwill usually be attached to both bed rails of the vehicle. One purposeof the bed rail covers is to protect the paint finish on the vehicle bedrail. Some people also choose to install bed rail covers for an enhancedvehicle aesthetic appeal.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the disclosure relates to multi-piece vehicle bed railcovers. In one embodiment, a vehicle bed rail cover includes a firstportion and a second portion. The first portion has at least one endthat includes a raised feature, and the second portion has at least oneend that is free from raised features. The first and the second portionsare illustratively joined together in such a manner that a seam isconcealed at least in part by the raised feature. The vehicle bed railcover can also include additional raised features that may beperpendicular or angled with respect to a length of the bed rail cover.Furthermore, the vehicle bed rail cover may include one or more lockingmechanisms to join the different portions together, and the vehicle bedrail cover may be made in part by utilizing injection molding.

These and various other features and advantages that characterize theclaimed embodiments will become apparent upon reading the followingdetailed description and upon reviewing the associated drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-piece bed rail cover.

FIGS. 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3 are top-down, side, and end views of a rearportion of a multi-piece bed rail cover.

FIGS. 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 are top-down, side, and end views of a frontportion of a multi-piece bed rail cover.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a front and a rear portion of amulti-piece bed rail cover being joined together.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a posthole aperture in a front portionof a multi-piece bed rail cover.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a posthole aperture with a posthole capin place of a multi-piece bed rail cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure include multi-piece vehicle bedrail covers. Commonly when multiple pieces are put together, a visibleseam is formed where the multiple pieces meet. People can see the seamand will be able to tell that the object is formed from multiple piecesand not one single piece. This may be undesirable in certain situations.For example, it may be undesirable for vehicle bed rail covers to beviewed as having multiple pieces. This may be especially true sincevehicle bed rail covers may be used at times to enhance the aestheticsof a vehicle.

Certain embodiments of bed rail covers may include one or more featuresthat are utilized to conceal the appearance of a seam where multiplepieces meet. The concealing features can include a raised feature suchas, but not limited to a raised rib. For example, a multi-piece bed railcover may include a series of raised ribs. One of the raised ribs can beplaced where multiple pieces meet. Accordingly, people will not be ableto visually perceive where the seam is, or for that matter, even tellthat there is a seam at all. Instead, people will view the multi-piecebed rail cover as a single bed rail cover, which as mentioned above, canbe more aesthetically pleasing.

Multi-piece bed rail covers may also provide additional benefits. Forinstance, there are challenges associated with the manufacture andcommercial distribution of typical single-piece bed rail covers. Some ofthese challenges are related to the relatively large size of a bed railcover. Even a small single-piece bed rail cover is likely to be at leastfive feet in length. In many cases, bed rail covers will be even longerthan that. Thus, a bed rail cover is a relatively large and awkwardproduct.

One disadvantage associated with the size and shape of a bed rail coveris that shipping can be relatively expensive. Many shipping companiesincorporate package dimension as a parameter that affects what it coststo ship a product. Generally speaking, large (and especially long)products are often more expensive to ship than smaller products. This ofcourse has a direct impact on the profit margin for the product.

Another disadvantage associated with the awkward size and shape of atypical bed rail cover is that the packaging in which the product isshipped is often especially susceptible to damage during the shippingprocess. Long boxes are generally more likely to get banged around andstacked upon during the shipping process. Smaller boxes are more likelyto fit conveniently with other shipped packages and are therefore lesssusceptible to being damaged during shipping.

The large size of a single-piece bed rail cover and its associatedpackaging is also a disadvantage in that it takes up considerable spacewhen stored as unsold or otherwise unshipped inventory. Bed rail coverproducts are often sold as automobile after-market accessories. It iscommon in this industry to stockpile inventory to some extent ratherthan manufacture products as they are ordered. The space utilized tostore inventory costs money and is therefore another business expensethat has an impact on the profit margin of the product. When a producttakes up less space, it opens up more space for other products to bestored. When space is utilized efficiently, there is essentially areduction in product cost.

Similarly, a typical bed rail cover is also likely to take up asignificant amount of space in a show room, in a retail store, or in anyother location where vehicle products are sold or otherwise shown toconsumers, wholesale consumers, or any other product consumer. It iswell known that sellers of products generally prefer to use displayspace as efficiently as possible. Thus, it can be difficult to convincesellers of products to carry bed rail caps in locations that areespecially desirable in terms of drawing attention. When products arerelatively small, there are more options in terms of display placement.When products are large, the options are often much more limited.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may reduce or eliminate at leastsome of the negative attributes of bed covers discussed above. Forinstance, shipping and storage costs of multi-piece bed rail covers maybe less expensive due to the length of the bed rail covers beingreduced. These and other benefits and advantages are discussed below.Additionally, it should be noted that embodiments are not limited to anyparticular benefit, advantage, or feature, and that embodiments mayinclude any one or more features described below or shown in thefigures.

FIG. 1 shows an example of one embodiment of a multi-piece bed railcover 100. The front part 300 of the bed rail cover is shown on theright in FIG. 1. The back or rear part 200 is shown on the left. Thefront part is illustratively the part that is installed on the top of abed rail in a location closest to the vehicle cab. The back or rearportion is illustratively installed on top of the bed rail in a locationcloser to a tailgate of a vehicle. This is not to say that embodimentsof the present invention are limited to being installed on bed railsassociated with vehicles that have a cab and tailgate, however, vehiclesthat have a cab and tailgate are commonly associated with bed rails uponwhich bed rail covers are applied.

FIGS. 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3 show additional views of the rear portion 200 ofthe bed rail cover (i.e. the portion shown on the left in FIG. 1). FIG.2-1 is a top-down view. FIG. 2-2 is a side view, and FIG. 2-3 is an endview. The front surface 210, rear surface 220, outboard surface 230,inboard surface 240, and top surface 250 of the rear bed rail cover areshown. A tread pattern 400 and ribs 500 are also shown.

FIGS. 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 show additional views of the front portion 300of the bed rail cover (the portion of the bed rail covers shown on theright in FIG. 1). FIG. 3-1 is a top-down view. FIG. 3-2 is a side view,and FIG. 3-3 is an end view. FIG. 3-1 shows more clearly an opening 302for a posthole cap. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that thisopening will illustratively correspond to a posthole opening in avehicle bed rail. A cap can be installed within the bed rail opening 302if it is desired to conceal the opening and therefore conceal thevehicle posthole. The front surface 310, rear surface 320, outboardsurface 330, inboard surface 340, and top surface 350 of the front bedrail cover are shown. Tread pattern 400 and ribs 500 are shown. The rib510 at the rear surface 320 is used to conceal the seam created when thefront cover 300 abuts the rear cover 200.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a close-up view of where the front portion300 and rear portion 200 of the bed rail cover come together in anabutting fashion when installed upon a vehicle bed rail. FIG. 4 showshow the rear portion 200 of the bed rail cover has an end that isslightly tucked under a raised rib 510 in the end of the front portion300 so as to create the appearance of one integrally formed bed railcover 100. In other words, a small portion of the front portion overlapsa portion of the back portion when the bed rail cover is installed. Thismay be accomplished at least in part by the end of the back portionbeing free from any raised features (e.g. free from raised ribs).

As is shown in the figures, the bed rail cover includes a tread pattern400 comprising a set of rectangles oriented such that the side with thelongest lengths is in line with the longest length of the bed railcover. Then, the bed rail cover includes a set of periodic raised ribs500 that are generally perpendicular to the longest length of the bedrail cover. It is under one of these raised ribs 510 on the rear edge320 of the front portion that the rear end of the bed rail cover istucked in order to give the multi-piece bed rail cover the aestheticappearance of a single, integrally formed bed rail cover. In otherwords, the raised rib 510 on the rear end 320 of the front portion 300of the bed rail cover is utilized to conceal a seam where the front 300and rear 200 portions are brought together in a generally abuttingfashion. The seal-concealing perpendicular rib 510 looks substantiallysimilar to the other perpendicular ribs 500 utilized to divide up therectangles in the tread pattern. However, the perpendicular rib 510 inthe case of the one end 320 of the front portion doubles as a mechanismfor hiding the seam. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that thescope of the present invention is not limited to a two-part bed railcover. A similar seam-concealing scheme could be utilized just as easilyto implement a three or more piece bed rail cover.

With further reference to FIG. 4, it is worth pointing out that theraised rib 510 that covers the seam between the two bed rail coverportions 200 and 300 generally extends from one side (e.g. the vehicleoutboard sides 230 and 330 of the covers when installed) of the bed railcover but not all the way to the other side (e.g. the vehicle inboardsides 240 and 340 of the covers when installed). The flat side of thebed rail cover is illustratively the side that creates the inboardsurfaces 240 and 340 of the rear and front bed rail covers,respectively, when the cover is installed. In FIG. 4, the raised ribdoes not extend down this flat side. In one embodiment, this is bydesign in order to form a completely flat surface along the inboardsurfaces 240 and 340 of the bed rail cover when the cover is installed.However, it is within the scope of the present invention for the raisedrib to extend all the way down the flat sides 240 and 340, which wouldmake the flat side of the bed rail have a “bump” in it where the raisedrib 510 causes an interruption in the otherwise elongated flat surface.It should be noted that it is within the scope of the present inventionfor the raised rib 510 to extend across any or all of the short lengthof the bed rail cover 100. In other words, the scope of the presentinvention is not limited to the illustrated case. The raised rib 510 canbe a single continuous rib or multiple, inline rib portions sharing thesame center of axis. Also, all of these variations in terms of how therib 510 extends between the inboard and outboard sides of the bed railcover are applicable to the seam concealing rib 510 but are alsoapplicable to any of the other periodic raised ribs 500 included alongthe cover 100.

It should also be noted that the raised ribs 500 need not necessarily beat a right angle relative to the longest length of the bed rail cover100. This right angle configuration is shown in FIG. 4. However, theconfiguration shown in FIG. 6 demonstrates how the raised ribs 500 canbe oriented at an angle other than 90 degrees (e.g. the seam coveringelement 510 can be formed at an angle). Notably, the tread components400 between the raised ribs 500 in FIG. 4 are generally rectangle shaped(though they could just as easily be square shaped, diamond, or anyother shape) and the tread components 400 between the raised ribs 500 inFIG. 6 are parallelogram shaped or otherwise shaped. All shapevariations, including circle shaped, should be considered within thescope of the present invention. In one embodiment, the tread components400 can be formed as raised words or symbols such as a vehicle brandlogo or indicia of a favorite sports team.

FIG. 5 is a more detailed illustration of the front end 310 of the frontportion 300 of the bed rail cover 100. The illustrated front end 310 ofthe front portion 300 is the end opposite the raised rib 510. Postholeopening 302 and posthole opening cover 304 are shown.

FIG. 6 is a more detailed illustration of the rear end 220 of the rearportion 200 of the bed rail cover 100. The illustrated rear end 200 ofthe rear portion 200 is the end opposite the end that tucks under thefront portion 300 when the bed rail cover 100 is installed. The FIG. 6illustration more clearly shows a posthole cap 304 placed into anotherposthole opening 302 that illustratively correspond to a postholeopening in the vehicle bed rail. As is shown, the insert mimics the ribs500 and tread 400 and the exterior surface of the bed rail cover 100. Itis within the scope of the present invention to have any number andconfiguration of posthole openings 302 and posthole opening caps 304formed in the bed rail cover 100. It is illustratively true that thenumber of openings in the bed rail cover will ideally correspond to thenumber of posthole openings in a given vehicle bed rail, though otherconfigurations are within the scope of this invention.

It is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is notlimited to utilizing a concealing rib per se in order to conceal theseam between the multiple parts. It is within the scope of the presentinvention for any raised feature to overlap in manner so as to concealthe seam. However, one particular aspect of the present inventionpertains to incorporation of a periodic raised feature that appearsmultiple times in the surface of the cover but does not always cover aseam between cover portions. In other words, by utilizing one or morecomponents of a periodic pattern as the seam covering mechanism, theimpression is given that the elongated bed rail cover 100 is all onecontinuous piece. The seam-covering feature appears as if it is the sameas the other raised features that are not covering seams. The outwardappearance of the bed rail cover generally has no obvious indication orappearance of a joint between multiple portions. However, it is withinthe scope of the present invention for at least a small portion of theseam to appear such as on the inboard sides 240 and 340 of the rear andfront rail covers, respectively, in an area where the raised concealingelement does not extend.

In one embodiment, the seam-covering element is essentially identical tothe corresponding, aesthetically similar periodic elements in terms ofsize, shape, etc. However, the pattern incorporated into the topsurfaces 250 and 350 of the rear and front bed rail covers,respectively, need not necessarily be symmetrical or periodicallycontinuous. It is also within the scope of the invention to cover theseam in a visually obvious manner (e.g. a clear raised joint where theseam is concealed). It is also within the scope of the present inventionto otherwise be rather clever about aesthetically hiding the fact thatthere is a concealed seam. For example, a seam can perhaps be hidden ina more complex (e.g. not strictly periodic) raised rib patter such asunder the middle of the three grouped ribs in the following pattern:

-   -   / / / /// / / /

Of course, this is but one of many possibilities within the scope of thepresent invention. Another options is to hide the seam under a raisedrib 510 within one of the following pattern:

-   -   \ / \ / \ / \

And, again, the scope of the present invention is not even limited toraised ribs 500. Other shapes and configurations are certainly conceivedof as possibilities within the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the height (i.e. how far of an extension from theprimary surface of the cover surface compared to other features alsoraised or otherwise extending out from the primary surface) of a raisedrib 510 or other seam concealing feature is at least slightly greater orless than the height of raised ribs 500 or other raised features thatare not covering a seam. In another embodiment, the height is the sameregardless of whether concealing or not concealing a seam. In oneembodiment, the end of the portion that tucks under a seam concealingfeature is formed so as to be slightly thinned (e.g. tapered) orthickened so as to accommodate the tucked under arrangement whilemaintaining a desired total thickness of the two cover portions 200 and300 at the point of overlap.

In one embodiment (not shown), the ends of the two adjoining portionsare formed so as to include a cooperative locking or attaching mechanismfor securing the two portions together. In one embodiment, this is atongue and groove arrangement where a tongue on one of the portionssecures within a groove formed on the other corresponding portion. Otherlocking mechanisms, including those that involve a piece separate fromthe multiple adjoining portions, should also be considered within thescope of the present invention.

The described embodiments of a bed rail cover with multiple portionseffectively shrinks the amount of inventory storage, packaging anddisplay space needed required for a bed rail cover product. This isbecause the multiple pieces are illustratively configured to beoverlapped with each other when stored, packaged, sold, displayed, etc.This overlapping therefore enables lower shipping and storage costs andopens up more possibilities for effective product display to potentialpurchasers.

Another significant advantage of the multi-piece design is that itenables substantial benefits related to manufacturing efficiency andflexibility. In one embodiment, each of the multiple parts of the bedrail cover are manufactured via injection molding. In accordance withone aspect of the present invention, the back or rear portion of the bedrail cover (e.g. shown in FIG. 2 and the left hand side of FIG. 1) isrelatively modular in that it is designed so as to be appropriate for asuitably tight fit upon a rear portion of a set of multiple vehicle bedrails in the current market despite the fact that the correspondingfront end portions of the set of multiple vehicle bed rails vary so muchas to require different front portion bed rail cover designs. Thus, themultiple part bed rail cover design provides the bed rail covermanufacturer the otherwise unobtainable option of efficiently producing(without comparatively fewer stops for changes in molding machine setup) an inventory of back end cover portions that will be combinable withdifferent front portions for different vehicle bed rail designs. Whilethe front end portions might be specific to just one vehicle, the backend portion illustratively accommodates multiple vehicles and thereforecan be more aggressively produced and stored in inventory if themanufacturer so chooses. The manufacturer gains the ability toefficiently produce and stock pile an inventory of back end pieceswithout having to stock pile a separate front end piece for everyproduced back end piece. The manufacturer gains many new options forproducing and stockpiling inventory.

Those skilled in the art will observe that molds may be utilized tocreate many if not all of the embodiments described herein. Furthermore,efficient mold design may allow for two different versions of the rearportion of the multiple part bed rail cover to be produced fromessentially just one mold. More particularly, a single mold with aninsert that can be switched out may be utilized to produce two differentlengths of the rear end portion. In other words, the mold utilized toform the rear end portion of the cover may include removable portionsthat are replaced with a blank when it is desired to generate a shorterversion of the rear end portion. When the blank is in place, the moldwill facilitate creation of the shorter version of the rear portion.When the blank is out and the mold extension piece is in place, the moldwill enable generation of the longer version of the rear end portion.Accordingly, one mold essentially facilitates creation of two differentversions of the rear end portion. This also gives the manufactureradditional options in terms of creating variable amounts of inventory inorder to minimize storage time and maximize the likelihood of quicklygetting a product to a consumer.

It is also worth noting that still another benefit of the multiple partbed rail embodiments described herein is that the portions of the bedrail cover can be formed in smaller injection molding machinery than isrequired to generate the longer continuous cover designs. The machineryfor generating larger injection molded pieces is generally moreexpensive and more costly to run than machines that generate smallerpieces. In fact, it is almost always true that equipment configured togenerate larger pieces is more expensive for purchase, for rent, or forhiring out production than equipment utilized to manufacturer smallerpieces.

The designs described herein empower the manufacturer to utilize smallertools to cover more cover models. Further, fewer molds are needed intotal. This reduces tooling costs, yet another benefit of the multiplepart design.

It should be noted that features attributed herein to one or the otherof the back or front portions could just as easily be switched to theother of the back or front portions. For example, the front portion 300could also or alternatively be manufactured with a mold that supports amold piece switch-out that enables production of front portions withdifferent lengths. Or, instead of the back piece tucking under theraised rib of the front piece, the relationship could just as easily bereversed. These and other obvious variations are to be considered withinthe scope of the present invention.

Further, it is to be understood that there are many options forattaching the bed rail cover to the vehicle bed rail. The scope of thepresent invention is not limited to any one particular attachmentoption. One option within the scope of the present invention isutilization of 3M double-backed foam tape.

Finally, it is to be understood that even though numerouscharacteristics and advantages of various embodiments have been setforth in the foregoing description, together with details of thestructure and function of various embodiments, this detailed descriptionis illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially inmatters of structure and arrangements of parts within the principles ofthe present disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad generalmeaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle bed rail cover comprising: a firstportion having at least one end that includes a raised feature; and asecond portion having at least one end that is free from raisedfeatures.
 2. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 1, wherein each of thefirst and the second portions includes additional raised features. 3.The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 2, wherein the raised feature andthe additional raised features are at least approximately perpendicularto a length of the vehicle bed rail cover.
 4. The vehicle bed rail coverof claim 2, wherein the raised feature and the additional raisedfeatures are angled relative to a length of the vehicle bed rail cover.5. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 1, where the first and the secondportions form an inner surface that is configured to accommodate a bedrail of a vehicle.
 6. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 1, wherein theend of the first portion and the end of the second portion includeattachment mechanisms that enable the first and the second portions tobe securely attached to each other.
 7. A vehicle bed rail covercomprising: a first portion and a second portion, each portion having anouter surface, each outer surface having a first level and a secondlevel, the second level being raised from the first level, the firstportion having at least one end that includes a feature at the raisedsecond level, and the second portion having at least one end thatincludes a surface at the first level.
 8. The vehicle bed rail cover ofclaim 7, wherein each portion has an inner surface that is configured toaccommodate a bed rail of a vehicle.
 9. The vehicle bed rail cover ofclaim 7, wherein the second level includes raised ribs that extend fromthe first level.
 10. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 7, and furthercomprising additional portions that are configured to be connectedtogether with the first and the second portions to form the vehicle bedrail cover.
 11. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 7, wherein thesecond level include a tread pattern.
 12. The vehicle bed rail cover ofclaim 7, wherein an outer perimeter of the vehicle bed rail cover isdefined at least in part by a front edge, a rear edge, an inboard edge,and an outboard edge.
 13. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 7, whereinat least one of the vehicle bed rail covers includes a postholeaperture.
 14. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 7, wherein the firstand the second portions are made at least in part by utilizing injectionmolding.
 15. A vehicle bed rail cover comprising: at least two railcover portions; a raised feature that is configured to conceal a seamformed by joining the at least two rail cover portions.
 16. The vehiclebed rail cover of claim 15, wherein the at least two rail cover portionsinclude additional raised features.
 17. The vehicle bed rail cover ofclaim 15, wherein the at least two rail cover portions include a lockingmechanism that is configured to securely attach the at least two railcover portions together.
 18. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 15,wherein the at least two rail cover portions are formed at least in partby utilizing injection molding.
 19. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim15, wherein at least one of the rail covers includes a portholeaperture.
 20. The vehicle bed rail cover of claim 15, wherein the raisedfeature is at an angle.